Window-shade



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

` CHARLES D. BLINN, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN.

WINDOW-SHADE.

Speccation forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,018, dated January 16, 1866.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. BLINN, of Port Huron, in the county ot' St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Vindow-Shades; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Fignre 1 is an elevation of a window-shade made according to my invention, showing it suspended, as it is when ready for use. Fig. 2 is an edge view. Fig. 3 shows one of the slats detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This improvement relates to window-shades of that class which are made of narrow wooden slats connected to each other at their edges by means of cords which are woven through and around them. Such shades are either rolled up from below, when the window is to be eX- posed, or else they are raised from before the window by rotating the rollers from which they are suspended, and so winding the shades about such rollers. All suoli shades have these defects among others: their slats are more or less separated from each other, so that one can look into a room from without when the shades are down, and the sunlight is freely admitted through the crevices, thereby fading the carpet with which a room may be furnished. The slats are also liable to be injured by becoming engaged with objects that are brought near to them, and also by becoming engaged and entangled with each other when they are wound up.

My invention removes these defects; and it consists in cutting notches in the slats, so that when they are connected by the cords which are interwoven through or about them their edges will lap each other and an opaque shade will be produced which can be wound up and un wound with ease by means o'a cord or other devices. Shades made according to my invention will have the appearance of blinds.

In the example of my invention here given A is the head-board of the shade from which,

the slats are suspended, and which is itself suspended from the top of a window by means ot' a hook or eyebolt-one or more.

B B are the slats. They arc made narrow, and are painted or otherwise prepared according to the common method. rlhe topmost slat may be rigidly attached to the head-piece, and around such topmost slat, or through it, are passed two or more series of cords, C, which are. interwoven with and around the slats, back and forth, from top to bottom of the shade, after the common manner.

The slats B, at the places where the cords pass about their lower edges, are notched to let the cords come within such edges, and consequentl y when the cords are woven and drawn so as to bring the adjacent slats together said slats will lap each other, after the manner seen in Fig. 2, thereby avoiding` the crevices which are left in the common mode of making shades of this class.

The shade is rolled or drawn up by means ofa cord, E, which is fastened to the headpiece on one side of the middle of its length and broughtaround the bottom slat and thence up again to the head-piece and passed through an eyebolt fastened therein. lts end hangs down to a convenient length to enable the housekeeper to reach its tasseled end and draw the shade up. A

It will be observed that shades made after my invention are strong, and their several slats are not liable to catch each otherorto be caught by passing objects.

l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In window-shades made of slats connected to each other, edge to edge, by means of cords woven through and about them, notchn-g the edges ofthe slats where the cords cross them, so as to compel the slats to lap each other and make an opaque shade, substantially as described.

CHARLES D. BLINN.

Witnesses:

JAMES GoULDEN, MEREDLTH GOULDEN. 

